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Mary Flint (1691-)
}} Biography The Flint Family lived in North Reading, Massachusetts, not farm from Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials which apparently included a number of their family members. Mary saw much hardship as a child. Her mother passed away when she was only five. At about the same time she was badly wounded in a gun accident that left her severely lame for life (see below). Genealogical Register Genealogical Register of the Descendants of Thomas Flint of Salem.Complied by John Flint and John H. Stone. Printed by Warren F.Draper, Andover, Mass., 1860. p. 10 - 11. This section refers to Sergeant George Flint - Mary's father: Another circumstance connected with this family, and which was frequently related by the older portion of it, is, that on a pleasant Sabbath all the family were absent at church but two of the daughters of Sergeant Flint, who were left at home in charge of the house. during their absence one of the daughters took a pistol, and,aiming it at the other, said: "Suppose you were an Indian, how easily I could shoot you!" At that moment the pistol went off, and lodged its contents in the shoulder of her sister, which crippled her for life. Her father in his will mentions his "unfortunate daughter Mary," and makes suitable provision for her proper maintenance. Her grandfather, Nathaniel Putnam (1619-1700), gives her a double portion, "because she hath a lame arm." The old garrison house was taken down several years since, and one of modern construction erected in its place. He was one of the Selectmen of he town for several successive years;was a member of the Salem village church, and was quite active in religious matters, as appears by the interest he took in the organization of the North Parish and Church. He presided as moderator of the first meeting of the parish, and ever after, as long as he lived, took a leading part in the management of its affairs. He gave the parish one acre of land, on which the first meeting-house was built. The first minister of the precinct church, Rev. Daniel Putnam,was his nephew. Garrison House In 1994 historians accidently discovered the Sergeant George Flint House after a massive fire destroyed an adjacent historical building. This two-story wood-frame house was built about 1690, and has since been carefully restored. * Restoration of Sgt George Flint House As late as 1690 the people of Haverhill considered abandoning the town because of Indian attacks. In 1708 some of their worst fears came true when 40 townsfolk were killed in as raid during the French and Indian Wars. Thus when Sergeant George Flint came to North Reading sometime between 1677 and 1690 (with his wife Elizabeth Putnam) he built a small but substantial “Block House” or fortified house not far from (what was to become) the Old Gowing Farm. This Block House or Garrison House had heavy planks running up and down the walls and small deeply set windows. According to historian Lilley Eaton writing in 1872, tradition said than it was the earliest house in the North Parish. George Flint was born in Danvers in 1652 and died in 1720. Vital Records